Machine for playing card games



Aug. 28, 1945. J. .1. HICKEY 2,333,850

MACHINE FOR PLAYING CARD GAMES Filed lies. 1 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Au 28, .1945. J. J. HICKEY MACHINE FOR PLAYING CARD GAMES V Filed Dc. 1, 194: 5 Sheets-Sheet. 2

INVENTOR. Flam I J. J. HICKEY MACHINE FOR PLAYING CARD GAMES 7 Aug. 28,1945.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 1, 1943 1 PAM Aug. 28, 1945.

J. J. HICKEY MACHINE-FOR PLAYING CARD GAMES File'd Dec. 1, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Aug. 28, 1945.

J. J. HICKEY MACHINE FOR PLAYING CARD-GAMES 5 Sheets Shet 5 Filed Dec 1, 1943 I INVENTOR.

E I M v Patented Aug. 28, 1945 2,383,860 MACHINE For: PLAYING CARD GAMES John J. Hickey, Arlington, N. J. Application December 1, 1943, Serial No. 512,423

12 Claims. (01. 273-148) This invention relates to games and refers 21110139 particularly to machines-for playing solitaire, stud poker, and other games which are usually played with a deck of fifty-two or fifty,- three playing cards.

My Patent No, 2,334,093, issued November 9, 1943, describes a machine for playing solitaire, the operations of which replace various manipulations which must be carried out in the course of a card game. i This machine includes a rotary ,drumcontainprove amachine of this type by constructing, it

in such manner that the various parts thereof will ,be protected against undue strain or breakage. 7 Another object is the provision of a gameplaying machine which is compact and easily portable and the variousparts of which occupy the least possible amount; of space.

Yet another object is the provision of a machine for playing card games various parts of which may be conveniently replaced by others in the course of a game or may be removed. for transportation purposes.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In accomplishing the objects of the present invention, it was found desirable to provide a main casing which is portable and which contains a swingable body used for the mixing or shuffling' of the balls serving as a substitute for cards.

The casing is provided with an inclined ramp used to transmit the mixed balls toward a gate. Two detachable parts may be connected to the main casing or removed therefrom whenever, the

machine is not. being used.

game which is being played.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example preferredembodiments of the inventive idea.

In the drawings: Figure 1 shows in side elevation a game-playing machine constructedv in accordancewith'the principles of the present invention. I f Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the machine. 1 Figure 3 is a top view of the machine with some parts removed. and other parts shown in section along the' line 33 of Figure 1.,

Figure 4 issimilar to Figure 2 and shows various parts in a differentposition. t

Figure 5 illustrates one of the ballsserving as" a substitutefor cards. v 1 M Figure '6 is a perspective View of one of the ball-carrying pockets.

Figure 7 is a sectional view through the machine provided with difierent ball-concealing means. I

Figure 8 is a top view of the ball-concealing means shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a front view of the ball-concealing means shown inFigures '7 and- 8.

Figure 10 isa fragmentary sectional view of the ball-concealing means illustrating a different position of the actuating lever.

The game-playing machine is played with the use of balls u illustrated in Figure-5 and serving as: av substitute for playing cards.

The balls may be; made, of Wood, metal, cement, ordinary or magnifying glass, poroelainor any other suitable material. The balls may be made convenient :sizes, ranging from %of an inch tto l inches in diameter and may be made of four colors which are a well-recognized component of ordinaryplaying cards; namely, blacl; for :spades, blue for clubs,. red for hearts and white or ivory for diamonds. pp I The halls are numbered, lettered and decorated in a manner similar to that-provided on playing: cards; possibly withthe addition. of luminous markings or the effects of. magnifying. glass.

. The main-casing of the machine may be substantially rectangular in form and may include abottom 1 -2, walls: [3, l 4,yl 5-and lfifandua removable cover ll. The cover 11 maybe hinged to the sideflwalls lt or l;5.' This container may bemade of metalg'woodfplastics or other suitable materials. g

.iObviously, the illustrated container, may be replaced by atable or benchor some otherstruc- 'ture of any other convenient shape. The casing may be provided with magnifying or reflector glass (not shown) to display or illustrate the balls or various parts of the machine.

As shown in Figure 2, the. interior of the container includes a ramp l8'which is inclined downward in a direction toward the front wall l4 of the casing. The ramp l8 extends above the bottom l2 and is firmly attached to the rear wall l6 of the casing and to the side walls l3 and thereof.

of the casing is occupied by a front ramp 19 which has the same inclination as the ramp l8 and is located in the same plane. 7

The ramp I9 is firmly connected to the front wall l4 of the casing and to its side walls [3 and 15. The space between the ramps I8 and I9 may be occupied by a swingable platform which may be connected by hinges 2| to the front edge of the ramp l8.

, When the platform 2ll is located in its normal :1

position shown in Figure 2, it serves as a continuation of the ramps l8 and I9 and connects these ramps. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the platform 20 carries a plurality of parallel guides 22 whichterminate in tapered barriers 23.

or flanges 25 and 26 and is firmly embedded therein; The rod 2! is'located at a height above the supporting surface of the paltfor m20 which is somewhat higher than the diamete'r of the balls ll. Thus, the rod 21 will not prevent the rolling of the balls ll upon the platform 20 toward the ramp [9. On the other hand, the rod 21 is useful for the sorting of the balls-and for preventing congestion or jamming 4 The underlying surface of the-platform 20 carries an extension 28 which containsa rod'29. The rod 29 extends through an arcuate opening 30 formed in the side wall l3, and is bent'to form a handle 3|. 1

It is apparent that a playermay swing the platform 20 from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 4 and vice-versa by operating the handle 3 l;

The bent'part of the rod 29 moves within the arcuate opening 30, Figure 1, in the course of this swinging motion. w

The stop 32, Figures 1,3, which is located upon the outer surface of the wall '13 isused to limit 1 form 20 and'ha a surface which follows substantially the path of movement of the outer edge of the platform. Thus, the barrier 33 prevents the balls heaped upon the platform,in the position shown in Figure 2, from falling upon the platformlQ. '1

The barrier 33 may be attached to one of the side walls of the containerby any suitable means 34. 1

The ramp I9 is arranged to cooperate with a. gate device designated by the numeral 35 in'the drawings. The ramp I3 is provided withguides 36 which may be made of wire or any other suitable materialand which maybe in alinement The ramp l8 extends to about /3 of the length of the casing, Another /3 of the lengthfi The sides of the 1;

with the guides 22 carried by the platform. Thus, the guide 36 form channels 31 which constitute a continuation of the channels 24.

The gate 35 is reciprocable in the vertical direction along four guides, 38 to 4|. The guides 38 and 4| are firmly attached to the side wall l3. The guides 39 and 40 are located opposite the guides 38 and 4| respectively and are attached to the side wall 15. Additionally, guides 38 and 39 may be firmly-attached to the front wall [4,

Two plates 42 and 43 are slidable in these guides, the plate 42 being located between the guides 38 and 4| while the plate 43 is located between the guides 39 and 40 (Figure 3). The plates 42 and 43 are joined by a wall or barrier 44 which extends parallel to the front wall M.

The wall 44 carries a rod 45 which extends through an opening 46 provided in the front wall M. The outer end of the rod 45 carries a handle As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the slot 46 extends substantially in a vertical direction thereby affording the possibility of moving the gate up and down by movement of therod 45 within the slot 46. I t

The ball selector 48 has the form of a trough which is substantially U-formed in cross section and which is provided with walls 49 and 50 located at a distance from one another which is slightly greater than the diameter'of the ball ii. The ball selector 48 extends'parallel to the walls l4 and 44 and is keyed intermediate the walls 49 and 50 upon a pivot or rod 5 l.

The pivot St has one'end which is mounted in the plate 43. The opposite'end of the pivot 5i extends through a slot 52 provided in the wall I3. This outer end of therod Si is firmly connected with a handle 53, Figure l. The handle 53 is not only movable vertically along with the entire gate 35, but it is also swingable in the direction of the arrow 54 shown in Figure 2 between two stops 55 and 56 Figure 1 carriediby the wall [3.

A display board 5T constitutes a detachable part'which may be conveniently removed and preserved in the interior of the container when the machine is not in use. In the example illustrated, the display board 5'! is attached to the front wall l4 close to the opening 58 by means of hooks 59 shown in Figure l or pins shown in Figure 2.

The hooks 59 may be inserted into eyelets Bl carried upon the outer surface of the wall l4. Projections or pins 60 may be inserted into suitable openings provided in the platform ill. The display board 5'! has a front barrier 62 which stops the balls rolling off. As shown in Figure v2, the board 57 is so inclined that it is located in the same plane in which the ramps l8 and i9 and the platform 23 are located. The board 51 is also provided with side walls 63 and 54 as well as guides 65 which are located'in alinement with the guides 22 and 36 and form passages or channels 66 which constitute a continuation of the channels 24 and 31.

As shown in Figure 3, the channels 66 may be numbered in consecutive order for the convenience of the players. I V As will be described hereafter, it may be necessary to tilt the container rearwardly in the course of the game. 1

I6. The opening 10 is approximatel of the same size as the opening 58 and is sufiiciently large to enable the passage of the balls Il from the interior of the container to the board 88 and the pockets 11 located thereon.

The opening TB is normally closed by a door 12 which may behinged' at 13 to aninner surface of the wall It; The doorl2 ay be manipulated by a red It which is attached at 1-5 Figure3 to the door and which extends through an el'ongated slot 16 which is provided in the side door 13. v The outer end of the rod 14 carries a knob H. As shown in Figure l, the slot 'lfimay be pr0- vided with a recessed portion 1-8 which will hold the rod 14 and the door. 12 in an open position.

As already stated,the interior of the container is accessible through a hinged cover I T. 'Preferably, the rear wall 16 is also provided with a door it which is hinged at 80 to the wall it and which provides ready access to the interior of the container.

The detachable board 68 carries side walls 8! and 82 and a rear wall 83,'w-hich may be somewhat inclined and which-may carry a knob 84;

Thus, the board 68 has the form of a tray which isopen adjacent the opening 70. The board or tray E8 is used to carry a plurality of pockets 11-. Since all pockets are alike; only one of them will be described hereafter.

The pockets may be consecutively numberedand the numerals upon the pockets should correspond to those upon the channels 66- for purposes of the game.

' Asis shown more clearly in Figures 2 and 6, each pocket H has a bottom 85', sidewalls B6 and 8 1, a rear wall 88 and a top 89 which may be curved or vaulted and which may be integral with the side walls 86 and 81. Thus, thepocket H is open on one-side only. The lower surface 85 of the pocket may be provided with an in clined angular stop 90, the purpose of which is to prevent a ball H located close to the rear wall 88 of the pocket from rolling out of the pocket without considerable shakingor without turning the pockets.

The rear wall 88 of the pocket'carries a knob M.

The rear wall N3 of the containermay be provided with a projection ora canopy 92 located above the front ends of the board 68 and of the pockets H.

The manner of playing a game such as stud poker by means of the illustrated machine will be describecl'now by way of example:

In the assembled position of the machine which is shown in the drawings, the two detachable members 51 and 68 are attached to the walls l4 and I6 respectively. The balls H which repreent playing cards and which are used in numbersequal to that of a deck of cards are introducedintotheinterior of the container and areplaced upon the ramp l8 and the platform 20 which at that time. occupies the flush positionv shown. in Figure 2.: Approximately one-half of the balls. willrest'upon theplatform.

The. shuliiing' or mixing, oi. the balls. iscarriedi the 4 same purpose.

It. is apparent that. when. the machine is used. for-playing p oker, each- .partial revolution of the out by -the swinging: of the platform which is accomplished by a'player who swingsthe handle 3| back and forth Within the slot 30. Then, the platform will swing from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown-in Figure '4'and back again. i l v i in the course of this swinging movement-of the platform,approximately.one-half of the balls willbe elevated-forced into and cast over unto the remainingunlifted lotof balls. When the platform is return to its normal position I shown in Figure 2, the 'lot of the fifty-two or fifty-three balls will-settle down to one tier descending upon the ramp l8 andwill thus be mixed or shufiled in the-course of theinfiltrating, tiering-upand settling operations; The swinging of the platformwill, therefore, mix the mass of balls .in an efficient, thorough and indiscriminate, manner. At' the completion of the mixing operation, the ballsrest upon the ramp l8 and the platform. 20, and are. held by the gate 48.

Due to the-provision of partitions 22' and the rod 21, some of the balls will occupy the chan-. nels zd and will be pressed by other balls again-st thegate;

Asshown in Figure 2, the gate 48 'is'of such shapethat when it is swung in a direction opposite-to arrow 54 the end 50' will rise and the front row ofballs will-enter gate 38 between the projecting walls 49 and 50; Turning of gate 48 inlthe direction of arrowi iwill release these balls iri'the. direction of the-opening 58 so that the balls-will roll by gravity onto the board 5! and will be located in the grooves 66. v .It is: apparent that'one ball-will be dealt into each channel '66 and Will be revealedto' the players. Therefore, each reciprocation of the member. 48Jwil=lseparate from the large mass of balls and-count out or allocate to the players a number of playing :units equal to that of the channels 66, one. unit being" allocated to each channel.

Since jamming,

the proper dealing of the balls, the machine is provided with various means, the object of which is to prevent this jamming. 1

Inthefirstplacej the pointed ends 23 of the partitions 22 sort the balls and compel them'to form regularrows within the channels,

In the second place, the provision of the rod 21 which may be made of'wire and which may be located about one and a quarter inches above. the level. of the platform 20-, confines the move=-= made sufficiently heavy so that it will. remain in.

a downward; position except when lifted by the dealer.

Obviously, a small spring (not shown), or any:

other suitable means may be used. to attain the clogging or wedging of the balls. close to the 1 gate 48 would interfere withgate 48 will deal, discharge and deliver into the numbered display channels 66 of the board 51 one ball for each or the players."

In various games the open dealing of cards is replaced or carried out. in conjunction with a concealed dealing.

In accordance with the present invention, the second detachable part or pocket holder v(i8 is used for the purpose of this concealed dealing.

For this purpose the tray'68 carries pockets or containers H which are open toward the opening I0, but normally the opening 10 is closed by the door I2. In order to move the balls from the'interior of the container to the pockets II, the player raises the door I2 and tilts the container in the direction of the rear-wall I6 by lifting the handle 61 attached to the front wall I4. Then, the ramp I8 and the platform 20 will be inclined in the opposite direction and will cause a rolling of the balls toward the wall I6. Guides 96 will guide the balls into the pockets 1 I Then, the player restores the machine to its normal position while maintaining the door 12 inits open position. Then all the balls with the exception of one, will run out of each pocket and that one ball will be entrapped in each pocket by the provision of the projecting portion 90.

Thereupon the swinging door I2 is restored to its closed positon shown in Figure 2.

As already stated, the door I2 may be operated by the knob TI and for the convenience of the player, the door I2 may be held in its open position through the provision of the recess I8.

It is apparent that the described operation will place one ball II in each of the pockets II and that ball will be concealed from the players. The operator of the machine may remove the pocket holder 68 from the casing and place it in a position which will enable each of the players seated around the front of the machine, to pick up his numbered pocket from :the tray.

It is apparent that by combining the concealed delivery of the playing units with the unconcealed delivery, the players receive the equivalent of the up-cards and "down cards of a card game. At the conclusion of each round of play, an accumulation of balls II may rest in the display channels 65, such balls being the-equivalent of discards in card games.

These balls and the balls dumped out of the pockets may be returned to the interior of the machine by raising the entire gate 48 by means of the lever 4'1 and simultaneously tilting the container in the manner hereinbefore described by the use of the handle 61. Then, the discards will be returned and the next round of play may be initiated by carrying out the described shufliing operation.

In addition to poker the game of solitaire and many other games may be played by means of the described machine.

An important advantage of this machine is that the use of removable or detachable'trays 5! and 68 reduces its size to a considerable extent. Furthermore, the novel mixing steps of the machine are carried out within the casing without rocking it and without the "provision of large rotary parts. l r

The anti-jamming devices of the machine are effective to provide the desired distribution of the balls.

Figures 7 to 10 show a machine wherein the second detachable part; namely, the tray 68 has been replaced by a different mechanism. Other parts of the mechanism are the same, the same numerals indicating similar parts in the drawmgs.

The ball-receiving device comprises a lower floor I00 and an upper floor IOI which is located in substantially the same plane as the platform I8. The upper floor or platform I 0|. carries guides 'I02 leading to chambers I03 formed by partitions I01 within a substantially cylindrical body I04.

The cylindrical body I04 has a closedsection I05 and an open section I06 and contains partitions I01 which form the chambers I03.

The cylindrical body I04 is pivoted in the side walls I08 and I09 and is provided with a handle I I0. In the position shown in Figure 7, the cylindrical body I04 will receive balls in its chambers I03. These balls may roll by gravity toward these chambers provided that the casing is tilted by lifting the handle B'I-and that the door I2 is open. Thereupon the handle H0 is turned from the position shown in Figure '7 to the position shown in Figure 10 so that the balls will be dropped upon the lower platform I00 and into chambers I I I which are formed by partitions H2.

The partitions H2 are carried upon the lower platform I00. The balls located in the chambers III may be supplied to the players by any suitable means. For instance, the device may be provided with inclined channels which are not shown in the drawings and which lead from the chambers Hi to the individual locations wherein players are seated.

A device of this type is described in my United States Patent No. 2,334,093 of November 9, 1943.

The described platforms I00 and IM may be conveniently replaced by separate pockets located at the corners of the case and communicating with channels leading to the locations of the players. It is apparent that the invention shown above has been given by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and that the abovedescribed machine is subject to wide variations and modifications without departing from the scope or intent of the present invention. For instance, the release of balls may be carried out by a vertical movement of the gate without it being necessary to swing it. This and other variations and modifications are to be included with-- in the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus simulating the dealing in card games, wherein the cards are replaced by balls carrying card indicia, comprising, in combination with a casing and means located within said casing for mixing said balls, a ball-displaying tray removably attached to one side of said casing, a pocket-carrying tray removably attached to an opposite side of said casing and adopted to conceal said balls before, during and after removal, and means located within said casing for transmitting the mixed balls to said trays.

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1; wherein said ball-displaying tray comprises a board, side walls enclosing said board on three sides, guides carried by said board and forming channels extending parallel to each other and to two of said three sides, and means for connecting a fourth side of said board to a wall of said casing.

3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said pocket-carrying tray comprises a board, side walls enclosing said board on three sides, and means for connecting a fourth side of said board to a wall of said casing, said apparatus further comprising, in combination, separate pockets removably carried by said tray and having openings formed therein for receiving balls within said pockets, means within said pockets for retaining balls therein, and separate knobs I 5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said pocket-carrying tray comprises a lower floor, an upper floor, partitions extending between said lower floor and said upper floor and forming ockets, an opening being formed in said upper floor and extending transversely to said pockets, a hollow cylindrical body located in said opening and having an open portion for receiving balls, partitions in said cylindrical body in alinement with the first-mentioned partitions, and a handle connected to said cylindrical body for turning the same.

6. An apparatus simulating the dealing in card games, wherein the cards are replaced by balls carrying card indicia, comprising, in combination with a casing, means located within said casing for mixing said balls, means for receiving, displaying and segregating in separate hands said balls means intermediate the ball mixing and ball receiving means to allocate some of said balls from the mixing to the receiving side, and means for returning said balls for-further dealing after the completion of a hand. I

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising means of receiving, concealing, and segregating said balls to complement playing hands.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising means of receiving, concealing and segregating said balls, said means comprising separate pockets removable from connection with said casing.

9. An apparatus simulating the dealing in card games, wherein the cards are replaced by balls carrying card indicia, comprising, a casing having an opening therein, a rampwithin said casing, a ball-mixing device located within said casing and comprising a platform swingably connected to said ramp, and a lever connected with said platform for actuating the same and extending outside of said casing, said platform being adapted to form a continuation of said ramp, in its normal position, and a gate operatively carried by said casing adjacent the outer end of said platform in the normal position of the latter, the said gate being adapted when operated to allocate the said balls through the opening in the casing to a position therebeyond.

10. An apparatus simulating the dealing in card games, wherein the cards are replaced by balls carrying card indicia, comprising a casing having a front wall a rear wall, and two side walls, a ramp inclined downwardly toward said front wall and connected to said rear wall, an opening for the passage of said balls being formed in said front wall above said ramp, a platform swingably connected to said ramp and located in its normal position, in the plane of said ramp, a lever extending outside of said casing and connected with said platform for swinging the same, another ramp located in the plane ,of the first mentioned ramp and connected to said front wall to constitute a continuation of said platform in the normal position thereof, and a gate operatively mounted at said front wall over the second mentioned ramp, and adaptedwhen operated to select and allocate some of said balls to complement playing hands.

11. An apparatus simulatin the dealing in card games, wherein the cards are replaced by balls carrying card indicia, comprising, a casing having a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls, a ramp inclined downwardly toward said front wall and connected to said rear wall, guides upon said ramp to form channels for said balls,

a platform swingably connected to said ramp and located, in its normal position, in the plane of said ramp, a lever extending outside of said casing and connected with said platform for swinging the same, guidesupon said platform forming channels constituting a continuation of the firstmentioned channels, side flanges carried by said platform, a rod carried by said side flanges and extending above said platform to provide a passage for balls rolling thereon, a barrier extending channels constituting a continuation of the firstand second-mentioned channels, and a handle attached to said front wall for rocking said casing.

12. An apparatus simulating the dealing in card games, wherein the cards are replaced by balls carrying card indicia, comprising, a casing having a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls, two ramps located within said casing in one plane which is inclined in a direction downwardly toward saidfront wall, said ramps being attached to the front and rear walls respectively, a platform swingably connected to one of said ramps and interconnecting said ramps in its normal position, an opening being formed in said rear wall adjacent one of said ramps, another opening being formed in said front wall adjacent the other one of said ramps, a gate intermediate the platform and rear wall adjacent said other opening, said gate comprising two plates, a ballselecting member swingably mounted in said plates and having an outer ball-engaging wall and an inner lball engaging wall, an inwardly directed projection upon said inner ball-engaging wall to prevent the jamming of said balls, a lever connected for actuating said ball-selecting member to select and allocate said balls, a wall interconnecting said plates, and a handle carried by the last-mentioned wall and projecting through said front wall for raising and lowering said gate to permit the passage of balls therethrough from one side of the apparatus to the other, and guides located within said casing for guiding said plates JOHN J HICKEY, 

